McKnight's July 15, 2019
Accountable care organizations, designed to reduce overhead and improve health outcomes by coordinating care, may not be achieving either goal when it comes to patients with complex needs, according to several new studies.
ACOs’ self-reported management and coordination activities were not associated with improved outcomes or lower spending for elderly patients with multiple diagnoses, according to a Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice study published in JAMA Network Open last week.
Researchers examined records related to 1.4 million Medicare beneficiaries who had frailty or multiple chronic conditions and were assigned to an ACO. They compared outcomes among groups whose ACOs used varying care management tactics, including follow-up calls to general practitioners; patient navigators; and in-home visits.
Among potential...